At a time when the three top leaders governing the country - the prime minister, the Congress president and the Congress vice-president - have given a whole new meaning to the phrase "silence is golden", a book that offers a peek into the minds of some young parliamentarians is more than welcome.
India: The Future is Now, edited by Shashi Tharoor, presents the views of 12 young parliamentarians on various issues concerning India now and in the future. It unintentionally does more than that - in fact, it also brings out the tragedy of present-day Indian politics. Of the 12 parliamentarians - brought together in this "one-of-a-kind book", "cutting across ideologies, geographies and political affiliations" - eight happen to be dynasts. And so, we have an important book, more than two-thirds of which is taken over by dynasts offering their "vision" and "roadmap" for the world's largest democracy. Considering that 79 candidates under the age of 40 were elected to the current Lok Sabha in 2009, the choice of writers should have reflected greater representation.
First, a look at the sons-and-daughters list that forms the chunk of India: The Future is Now: Anurag Singh Thakur (Bharatiya Janata Party), son of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal; Hamdullah Sayeed (Congress), son of former Congress leader P M Sayeed; Jay Panda (Biju Janata Dal), son of former Rajya Sabha MP Ila Panda; Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo (Biju Janata Dal), son of Biju Janata Dal leader Ananga Udaya Singh Deo and grandson of Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, the last ruler of Patna in pre-Independence India, who later served as chief minister of Odisha (then Orissa) from 1967 to 1971; Milind Deora (Congress), son of former Union minister Murli Deora; Priya Dutt Roncon (Congress), daughter of late actor-politician Sunil Dutt; Sanjay Jaiswal (BJP), son of three-time parliamentarian Madan Prasad Jaiswal; and Jyotiraditya Scindia (Congress), son of late Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia. Jyotiraditya Scindia has been described as "a scion of the Gwalior royal family" - another princely hangover that continues to cock a snook at democracy.
Seized of the dynastic problem of which he is part, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo writes: "I wonder, in these times, when children of judges practise law in courts and promoters of public companies continue awarding contracts to friends and relatives, why only the conflicts of interest involving politicians are questioned. I attribute it to the inherent faith of the people of India in its democracy…." But that's where the concern about the politics of inheritance ends.
Several other concerns dominate. Corruption (thankfully) is one of them. Jay Panda, Sanjay Jaiswal, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo and Poonamben Veljibhai Jat (BJP) bring up this issue. Ms Veljibhai Jat, a first-generation politician who has risen from the ranks to become a parliamentarian from "just a party worker in Mumbai", as she says, calls for strict rules and new reforms by the Election Commission so that "elections are made less expensive" and candidates do not opt for "unfair means to secure funds". Agriculture, education, security, poverty, competition from China, economic freedom and, yes, politics are among the other issues that come up.
Mr Scindia picks up Rahul Gandhi's pet subject, inclusive growth and the idea of two Indias; quotes from the speech Jawarharlal Nehru made on the eve of Independence; and then goes on to explain why "India has every reason to push for agricultural research". He draws attention to the technology-oriented farm sectors in Europe, Australia and North America, but does not elaborate.
Most MPs, in fact, have taken up too many issues in the 10-odd pages each of them has filled. As a result, their "vision" does not come out clearly. There are, of course, insightful nuggets hidden here and there, but you have to hunt for them in the many reports and figures the MPs cite to establish the state of the nation. Mr Panda, for example, has an interesting suggestion for restructuring the human resource development expenditure in schools - "to reward schools which deliver results, whether private or public". He suggests, "Instead of giving money to schools directly, vouchers can be given to parents so that they can choose which school they wish to send their children to. Later, the schools can reimburse the vouchers." Ms Rancon, whose section is titled "Let's Not Make It So Grim", but who keeps saying "unfortunately" whether she's talking about health, education or women and children, also draws attention to a critical issue: that of children, which, she writes, "has not been given due importance in Parliament" and calls for a separate ministry for child welfare.
The parliamentarian who does offer helpful solutions, and not just recounts well-known problems, finds space only at the very end of the book. Mr Jaiswal's chapter, "Looking at a Greener Future", is by far the most gratifying. About the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, he says: "a good scheme", but "it has to be linked to skill development and upgraded quality of work. We cannot let our rural folk be earth-diggers forever!"
India: The Future is Now is far from "vigorously analytical" and "vividly written", as the book jacket claims. Yet, it's better than not having a book of this nature that allows a glimpse, however bleak, into the concerns of the leaders of tomorrow. It could, however, have done without Sudhir Tailang's cartoons, which can at best be described as a banal attempt at political satire.
INDIA: THE FUTURE IS NOW
Edited by Shashi Tharoor
Wisdom Tree
164 pages; Rs 495
